The Thunderbird - Movement 3: West - "Snake Dance"

Movement 3 is a celebration of Indigenous dance, and the persistence of culture despite European influence. Much of the percussion in this movement is inspired by the sounds of the Native American powwow, a style of dance which arose in the mid nineteenth Century during the removal period of U.S. history. I wanted to reflect this idea of celebration despite hardship and tragedy, and throughout this movement show conflict between a European sound and a more Indigenous one. Stories from my Algonquian heritage tell of the thunderbird being in direct opposition with a great horned serpent, so in many parts of this movement I illicit the sounds and mannerisms of a snake through specific timbres and orchestration, juxtaposed with the main theme of the thunderbird in order to show this conflict.